Food for Alice: Blood and Chocolate
by Miss March Muffin
Summary: 1st of the Food for Alice collection. AU Interrelated Oneshots. Between salvaging her chocolate truffles and patching up her Alice boyfriend, Mikan finds this year's Valentine's Day a real emotional rollercoaster ride. He tries to be stubborn, but she can be just as. [Non-explicit]


Food for Alice

by Miss March Muffin

A Gakuen Alice drabble series, inspired by Tokyo Ghoul. I disclaim ownership over both anime/manga series.

The following is a series of interconnected one-shots, though not in chronological order. Rated M for hints of slightly mature content/themes. Nothing explicit; simply more teen/young adult genre. Additional works in this series is not final, but will still be marked complete.

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 **1\. Blood and Chocolate.**

Pairing: Natsume Hyuuga, Mikan Sakura

Mikan Sakura hums as she stirs the chocolate in the pot, eyes occasionally drifting back to the cookbook she'd purchased this afternoon. The evening news flash on the television in the living room behind her.

"...For this evening's daily Alice Alert segment, the AAO has reported full control over Sectors 5 and 9. All known Class S, A and B Alices have been terminated, while most of the Class C and D Alices have also been dealt with. Meanwhile, a slight skirmish had occurred in Sector 3 between what is assumed to have been a Class S Alice earlier this afternoon..."

The brunette pauses her stirring, turning to watch the news, a slight frown on her face.

"...AAO Representative Mouri Reo had earlier released to the press that there had been one AAO casualty. The Alice had also been heavily injured during the fight; Sector 3 residents and all others in the immediate area are advised to be careful, as there is a high possibility that the Alice would be looking for human sustenance…"

The worried frown becomes more pronounced. Mikan glances uneasily at the wall clock on the other side of the room, and then to the front door. By then, the neglected chocolate begins to fizzle unnaturally, and she hurries to try to salvage her homemade chocolate truffles. She could not afford to fail this batch too; she'd already run out of cream.

She is startled by heavy knocks on the door. Her heart pounding, she turns off the stove and moves to unlock the door, wooden spatula in hand. When her brown eyes meet crimson ones, she very nearly sags with relief.

"Natsume! You're back-!" The rest of her words die on her lips when she catches sight of the dark ominous stains on his torso and the dark circles underneath his eyes. "Oh my god-!"

Mind on autopilot, Mikan quickly helps him onto the couch, swiftly locking the door behind her and grabbing the medical kit. For one owned by a non-professional medic, it is extensively equipped.

She works more quickly and efficiently than she did three years ago. _I've had more than enough times to practice_ , she thinks ruefully. She shouldn't have had such chances to improve her first aid skills if she had her way. When she finishes, she carefully climbs onto his lap. She takes his face in her hands, rubbing her thumbs over his pale, pale skin, on the dark, dark circles under his closed eyes.

When he hears her sniff, his eyes open once more, his pupils more dilated, and his irises a deep, dark crimson. She wraps her arms around him and he leans his head on her shoulder. She's wearing one of his button-down shirts again, he finally notices. It's a few sizes too big on her; a single tug would expose a great deal of her shoulder. His own faint smell on the clothing did little to mask her sweet, _delicious_ scent. He grits his teeth.

Mikan, however, only tilts her head further away from him, exposing even more smooth skin, going so far as to nudge Natsume's head closer to her neck.

"Just get on with it, Natsume; I've told you, it's okay. You need to; you won't get better without it."

"...I'm sorry." He mumbles before he sinks his teeth into her flesh, surrendering to his primal instincts. He still feels the way she fists her hands on his back, and the way she clenches her jaw shut. He still hears the feeble whimper she tries to stifle; still feels the pleasurable satisfaction of feeding; still tastes the sweet ambrosia that is her blood and flesh. And he still feels the anger and resentment towards himself for the way he feels more and more rejuvenated with every second.

With a final lick, he releases her, eyes fixed on the new wound on her shoulder. Natsume tugs her trembling arms from around him; his movements quick and precise as he speedily tends to the wound. By the time Mikan comes out of her stupor, Natsume's knuckles are clenched white on his torn jeans.

Mikan is having none of his brooding, though. Ignoring the slight tremor of her hands, she lifts his ruined shirt, until she finds a months-old scar in place of the severe gaping hole minutes ago. The wave of relief she feels bubbles up into a sob.

"Thank god," She sobs, "Oh thank god, Natsume." And of course, Natsume doesn't stand a chance when she blubbers like that - and over the relief that he (monster that he was) had survived yet another would-be fatal wound. She was unlike any other.

Gently, he pries her away from his chest before leaning over and sealing her lips with his own. Both overcome with emotion, they kiss each other with fervor, hungry and desperate for the other. The next few hours are spent reassuring themselves of the other's presence; touching and caressing again and again until the heat became too much, too intensely. Tugging and pulling the other higher and higher, reaching deeper, diving harder, with hands intertwined…

When they finally calm down from the high, Natsume immediately notices the strong scent of her blood in the air.

"Your shoulder's bleeding again," He murmurs against her skin.

"It doesn't hurt too much," Mikan lies. Her shoulder had begun throbbing painfully as soon as Natsume had pointed it out. The Alice sees through her bluff, and retrieves the medical kit from beneath discarded clothes.

His fingers gently trace the edges of her marred skin, his stomach clenching once more with guilt and self-loathing.

"Idiot," He sighs, when she tries (in vain) to suppress a wince. His hands are gentle, firm and steady, despite the turmoil plain in his eyes. "You have no sense of self-preservation at all, have you? Even an ordinary human would be smart enough to not offer themselves to injured, hungry Alices - let alone letting them into their apartments. You might as well have invited the Chainsaw murderer of Texas."

"So what if I'm an idiot then, Mr. Brooding-Cranky-Pants?" Mikan retorts, "Any person would do anything they can for the ones they love! If loving an Alice makes me an idiot, then so be it."

When Natsume remains silent, Mikan brushes away the stray strands of raven hair from his forehead using her good arm. "And another thing," she waits for him to look her in the eyes once more, before continuing, "Me letting you in here doesn't count since you're no stranger, and besides, this is your home too, isn't it?"

Natsume doesn't understand how human eyes could possibly sparkle in the dark, but right then, he swears her hazel eyes burned bright - warm and deep and ablaze with determination, mischief and - dare he say it - ...love. She looks at him with such acceptance and affection, as though nothing and no one else matters at that moment but him.

He _really_ couldn't stand a chance.

He looks away with a grunt, but not without seeing her triumphant smile. Strangely enough, surrendering to her doesn't feel so bad with that smile, that gaze, directed at him.

.

.

.

"'For the ones they love', huh?"

Mikan starts, looking up from her pot of (supposed) chocolate truffles, which had hardened a bit too much (and looked...unlike the picture). She is having trouble scooping them and shaping them like the small rounded pieces in the cookbook.

"That's what you said earlier on," He elaborates slightly.

Natsume stares at her from the other side of the cluttered table, straddling a chair in only his boxers (another reason Mikan's molding of the truffles isn't turning out so well). Not that she was any better; she was only wearing one of Natsume's too-large-for-her button-down shirts after all, which barely reached mid-thigh.

"You blamed your stupidity on the fact that you loved an alice." He smirks. "But if I remember correctly (and I do) you were already stupid even before you met me, let alone _told_ me you loved me."

Mikan flushes, though whether in embarrassment or indignation, she didn't know for sure. "And just w-what are you trying to say, you jerk?!"

"Simple," Natsume nears his face to hers, making sure to enunciate each word loud and clear. "You've. Loved. Me. For a looooong time now...is what you said awhile ago."

"N-no I didn't!" Mikan splutters, face completely red. "I did not say anything about me loving you!"

"Yes, you did."

"W-well m-maybe I meant love as a friend! I love all my friends, even those who are Alices - like Hotaru, and Koko, and Tsubasa-"

Natsume tilts her chin towards him, until her lips are a hairsbreadth away from his. Mikan could practically taste him on her tongue. Needless to say, it does not help her overwhelmed senses.

"'Maybe'? Then you're not sure? Well then, good thing for your idiotic mind, mine runs differently. And I can tell for a fact that you definitely _did not_ mean it in that way."

"I-in w-what way, then...?" Mikan could no longer focus on what they were even talking about anymore. His scent is too intoxicating. God, he is _so_ unfair! He was affecting her greatly, and he knows it all too well. _Bastard._

He grins. It steals Mikan's breath away; it's been a while since she'd last seen that boyish smile of his, the one that makes him look so carefree and _happy_. Her fingers unconsciously grip onto his shoulders. Natsume could already feel the way her nails would soon trail all over his back, and arms… with just one more push.

"Like this... _love_ ," He whispers, purposefully grazing her lips with his with just the right touch of sensuality. A gentle caress against her soft lips, before moving deeper, tracing every inch of her mouth with his tongue. A moan of encouragement has Natsume barely suppressing a smirk. Her tongue flicks his and then enters his mouth while those fingers of hers weave themselves into his hair, massaging his scalp. Now it's his turn to bite back a groan. Her body presses against his, her moaning incoherently as he trails hot kisses down her neck, along her shoulders and past her collarbone….

Mikan blushes to the roots of her hair, unable to look at him. Now that she'd come down from the high, her mind starts to register what she let transpire between them…again.

 _She_ did not _just lose control like a cat in heat…!_

...And yet the completely abandoned bowls of chocolate truffles on the floor, and the cocoa powder all over the table, and the floor, and her (Natsume's) shirt… and Natsume's back and arms… all say otherwise.

"Uhhh… I… You… We… just…! Uhh... !"

Against her better judgment, she looks up to see Natsume smirking smugly and running that sinfully skilled tongue over his lips, and the sticky chocolate smudges on his fingers.

"Love you too, Polka," He whispers, before giving her one last peck on the nose. "By the way, the chocolate actually isn't that bad. Especially when eaten in a certain way…"

He chuckles as he exits the kitchen, mentally counting down. _3… 2… 1..._

"Nn.. Na-na-! NATSUME YOU IDIOT! I HATE YOU!"

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This was my first time writing a bit more sensual scenes. I'd watched the first season of Tokyo Ghoul and was fascinated and inspired by the themes presented in the anime and manga. Having a better grasp on Gakuen Alice characters than I did of Tokyo Ghoul, I wanted to try writing what it would have been like for Gakuen Alice characters to be in such a setting.

I saw this as a writing challenge for myself, and am quite eager for your thoughts on how I did. I have rough sketches for other characters, and other themes to work on, and I welcome any ideas you have that you want to pitch. I do not promise regular updates, though. Thank you!

-Miss March


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